Embryology: Body Plan Flashcards
What are the three embryonic germ layers?
Ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm
What tissues arise from the ectoderm?
Central/peripheral nervous systems, some skeletal and connective tissue of the head, epidermis, hair, nails, sensory epithelium of nose/ear/eye
What tissues arise from the mesoderm?
Skeletal/smooth/cardiac muscle, cartilage, bone, connective tissue, blood, urogenital system
What tissues arise from the endoderm?
Epithelium of the gut and it’s derivatives, epithelium of the respiratory system
What is caudal regression syndrome?
A disorder of impaired development of the lower half of the body. Can include lower limbs, lower back (lumbar/sacral vertebrae), lower gut, and urogenital tracts.
What is the underlying mechanism of caudal regression syndrome?
Abnormal growth and migration during gastrulation resulting in abnormal development of the caudal mesoderm, which is the last mesoderm to form
What is sirenomelia?
An extreme and rare form of caudal dysplasia in which the two lower limbs are fused at the midline. GI and GU organs are often malformed or absent. Usually fatal.
What is embryonic induction?
The stimulation of a specific developmental pathway in one group of cells by a closely approximated second group of cells. The inducing tissue passes a signal to the responding tissue, which “changes the fate” of the responding tissue.
What are the three different mechanisms of embryonic induction?
Diffusion of the inducing molecule from inducing tissue to responding tissue; contact between the ECM of inducing and responding cells; direct contact between the inducing and responding cells
What are the four examples of embryonic induction that Dr. Hartley wants us to know?
Primitive streak formation, mesoderm formation, neural induction, and lens induction.
What is the mechanism of primitive streak formation?
Signaling from extra-embryonic tissue (via TGF-beta and Wnt family molecules) induces epiblast cells to form primitive streak
What is the mechanism of mesoderm formation?
FGF produced by the endoderm causes migrating epiblast cells to become mesoderm
What is the mechanism of neural induction?
Primitive node cells produce TGF-beta family antagonists, FGF/IGF family molecules, which causes the ectoderm to form the neural plate
What is the mechanism of lens induction?
The optic vesicle develops as an extension of the embryonic brain and produces BMP4 (TGF-beta family), causing the overlying ectoderm to differentiate into the lens instead of skin
What is the period of susceptibility and when does it occur?
The period when the embryo is most vulnerable to environmental factors causing abnormal development; weeks 4-8
Insults during which period usually result in spontaneous abortion?
First three weeks
What is an anomaly?
A marked deviation from “normal”